The mini orange look-alike fruit is actually the clementine, which is a citrus fruit and is full of rejoicing health benefits.
This fruit not only looks deliciously attractive but also delivers a range of healthful aids.
Originated in Algeria, clementine is a cross hybrid of mandarin orange and sweet orange. The scientific name for clementine is Citrus × Clementina.
Clementine is basically of two types- seedless and Monreal. The seedless type naturally contains no seeds while the Monreal type may contain a maximum of ten or more seeds inside.
Clementine is sweeter than a regular orange. Besides being juicy and tangy-sweet, clementine is health-friendly also.
Clementine can be nutritious in its fruity form, whereas its essential oil can be used in aromatherapy also.
If you want to explore more about its health-related benefits, make sure to read the following points.
Health Benefits of Clementine
1. Contains Vitamin C Abundantly
Vitamin C is full of life- and clementine carries it richly [1]. Like other citrus fruits, clementine is another massive source of vitamin C [2].
Vitamin C is a healthy nutrient which you need to intake externally. Regular intake of vitamin C can take care of some critical aspects of your health, such as arteries, heart, skin, digestion, etc.
Vitamin C can control your blood pressure and refresh your body as well as your mood [3].
Eat 1 or 2 clementines daily and keep your vitamin C intake in check.
2. Keeps Heart Healthy
When we say clementine is a rejoicing fruit, it is. Clementine rejoices the heart functioning with its abundance of minerals and potassium.
These properties help active blood circulation through the arteries and deliver enough oxygen to the heart. Thus it prevents blood clots in veins, which ultimately ensures a proper heart function.
Many claims are there that vitamin C can reduce heart failure risk, but there is no solid evidence yet [4]. More research is required for an accurate claim.
Keep a clementine in your diet every day.
3. Nourishes Skin
Who doesn’t wish for a supple and youthful skin?
If you wish the same, you better start paying attention to eating fruit like a clementine.
Clementine is full of antioxidants [5]. Antioxidants may help your skin revitalize from sunburn and its harmful UV rays, but further reliable studies are necessary to prove this [6].
The richness of vitamin C and citric acid in clementine helps to wipe out the bacteria from your skin, which makes your skin look refreshing.
Collagen synthesis is a vital function in our body to maintain healthy skin. Vitamin C helps in collagen synthesis and keeps your skin youthful and wrinkle-free [7].
Your skin needs hydration to look fresh and smooth. Clementine is a reliable supply of water as it contains it abundantly. Eat one clementine a day to keep your skin hydrated.
4. Relieves from Stress
You cannot ignore the role of a fragrant and sharp smell which acts as a mood booster. Clementine’s aromatic and citrus aroma can turn on your dull or stressful mood instantly.
Clementine contains folate or folic acid, which is a part of vitamin B [8]. This nutrient property can be used in depression therapy, especially for women, according to a study [9].
So, next time, when you are experiencing mood swings or jammed under immense stress, grab a clementine- peel it off, breathe in deeply its sharp aroma and Eat.
5. Helps Digest Easily
Nobody feels right moving around with an irritating bowel syndrome. You can get rid of this uncomfortable hectic by eating clementine daily.
Clementine is an excellent source of fiber [10]. Fiber intake ensures proper nutrition absorption from the foods you eat daily and adds weight to the stool [11].
Also, the potassium in clementine helps ease the muscle contraction and mobilize the bowel movement; thus, you get rid of your constipation problem [12].
6. Improves Immunity System
You cannot overlook a food source that promises a better and improved immune function in your body. If you eat clementine every day, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and antioxidant will enhance your disease-fighting ability [13, 14].
Since clementine helps reducing constipation, it not only ensures clearing your bowel but dumps all body toxins along with it. This surely boosts a healthy function in your colon, kidney, and liver.
Your healthy immune system can defend against many infections, which otherwise could put your health in distress.
7. Boosts Brain Function
As mentioned earlier, clementine contains folate, which is necessary for brain development and functioning in children and adults [15].
Pregnant women have prescribed folate supplements for preventing their fetus’s neural tube defects.
If you are a person who continuously works with analytical data and information, folate will come useful in keeping your brain active. Vitamin C and folate are both efficient in keeping your mind off the stress and boosting its functionality.
8. Maintains Oral Hygiene
Vitamin C in clementine can keep your overall oral health in check [16]. It removes the bacteria from your gum, tongue, and teeth. Vitamin C can also prevent bleeding in the gum.
Other nutrient properties in clementine are calcium and phosphorus. The compound of these two can strengthen teeth [17].
Potassium in clementine can reduce dental
and decrease the risk of tooth loss.
So, besides brushing your teeth daily, you may eat a clementine daily to keep your mouth fresh.
9. May Prevent Cancer
The richness of vitamin C and anti-oxide in clementine can prevent cellular mutations. These two components can fight several infections in the body, which reduces the risk of cancer development in the cell [18, 19, 20].
Clementine contains some bioactive molecules such as limonoids and quercetin. These molecules are believed to be capable of fighting different types of cancers [21].
So, if you believe that prevention is the best cure, you may enlist clementine in your regular diet for keeping cancer at a distance.
10. Controls Cholesterol
You may not be able to control your diet completely. Due to daily hassle and rush of work and family maintenance, your daily diet may contain some foods that would develop bad cholesterol in the body.
As clementine is full of vitamin C and fiber, they clear your body from the bad cholesterol by ensuring proper nutrient absorption [22].
Mental stress is also said to be a reason behind LDL or bad cholesterol in the body. Since clementine is a mood booster and stress buster fruit, take one or two of them daily for restricting your body from developing cholesterol levels.
11. Prevents Free Radical Damage
Our body develops free radicals during the metabolic reaction. It is a natural process that we cannot help.
Antioxidants like limonene linalool, α-pinene, α-terpineol, β-pinene, and myrcene are effective in protecting your body from these unwanted free radicals [23].
Fighting free radicals are necessary because being unchecked, they can develop some sufferable diseases in future like cataract, cardiovascular diseases, or even cancer [23].
12. Maintains Vision with Age
You may worry about your eyesight less at an older age if you eat clementine regularly.
Study shows that clementine contains beta carotene and ascorbic acid, which takes care of your optical health [24].
That means, if you eat clementine or such citrus fruits regularly, you may enjoy a clearer vision than others as you age.
13. Clementine Oil for Aromatherapy
Not only the clementine fruit but also its essential oil is a healer. In aromatherapy, clementine essential oil is prized for its pain-relieving and mind refreshing qualities.
Getting body massage with clementine essential oil can be useful for muscle relaxing, stress release, mood uplifting, and better sleep.
Side Effects of Clementine You Should Consider
Too much of a good thing- always remains valid if you don’t control your diet. Clementine can cause some side effects in your body, despite being a reliable source of nutrients.
Check those side effects below:
- If you eat clementine too much, its highly acidic properties may spoil your teeth enamel, and ultimately you will experience tooth decay. This may lead to gum disease and bad breath.
- Overconsumption of clementine may cause acid reflux, which in turn may lead to heartburn and ulcer.
- If you eat too much fiber, you may experience intestinal gas, indigestion, and muscle cramp.
- Overconsumption of antioxidants may develop cancer in your body.
- You should avoid clementine if you are allergic to citrus fruits. Otherwise, it may give you itching and burning in the mouth, and swelling of lip and tongue.
Final Words
Such a joyful and healthy fruit like clementine should be available in your food shelf. If you eat this wisely, you can extract many health benefits easily.
This tiny and easy-peel-off fruit becomes available in stores by the end of fall. So, don’t miss it this time if you haven’t tried this before.
Your doctor can suggest you better on how or when to eat clementine and apply its essential oils.
If used in aromatherapy, consider using a carrier oil with clementine essential oil if you have sensitive skin.
You can do more research on this citrus fruit and explore more about its pros and cons because many of the above benefits may need more reliable investigations and evidence.
